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Paleodiet Reconstruction of Human Remains from the Archaeological Site of Natfieh, Northern Jordan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Khaled Al-Bashaireh ,
Abdullah Al-Shorman ,
Jerome Rose ,
A J Timothy Jull  and
Gregory Hodgins
Khaled Al-Bashaireh
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Yarmouk University, Postal code 211-63, Irbid, Jordan
Abdullah Al-Shorman
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Yarmouk University, Postal code 211-63, Irbid, Jordan
Jerome Rose
Affiliation:
Dept. of Anthropology, Old Main 330, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA
A J Timothy Jull
Affiliation:
NSF-Arizona Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
Gregory Hodgins
Affiliation:
NSF-Arizona Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
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Abstract

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This investigation concerns human teeth and bones from the site of Natfieh, north Jordan. Nitrogen and carbon isotope analyses were used to model the paleo-economy by reconstructing Natfieh's paleodiet during a specific time period. 14C dating of human teeth and bones from the site of Natfieh, north Jordan, demonstrate that they belong to the Early Roman period and match the archaeological date from the tomb and grave goods typology. Stable isotope analyses of these humans have provided new information about the subsistence and society of individuals buried at Natfieh. Natfieh is today agriculturally productive and must have been so in antiquity with most of the foodstuffs having been produced locally. The long distance between Natfieh and the closest aquatic food source (Mediterranean Sea and Lake Tiberias) and the high cost of land transportation might be the reason for the low consumption of marine protein. The results agree with past research on the Roman diet showing that plants were the common source of food for the Romans and fish may have been restricted to elite members of the society.

Type
Bone Dating and Paleodiet Studies
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 52 , Issue 2: 20th Int. Radiocarbon Conference Proceedings , 2010 , pp. 645 - 652
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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